Design Classics: The mother of all mini-vans

The Volkswagen Van

The other day on old VW van sputtered past me as I walked through the center of town. I felt a wave of fondness fold over me, and a sudden sense of contentment. It was one of the really old ones, known officially as a T1 — meaning that the windshield was a split-screen and the VW logo was the size of a basketball. Its droopy, sunny face was white, while the color of the back and sides was what you might call “fresh bubblegum.” I know it sounds ridiculous, but it was one of the friendliest cars I’ve ever seen.

It’s easy to take the VW bus for granted, but all those other minivans you see in the parking lot were inspired by the original VW bus. In 1947, with the war just over, the Volkswagen company was under control of the British Army, when a young Dutch importer of Volkswagen Beetles, Ben Pon, came to visit the factory. He saw the simple framework of the Beetle and sketched out on a piece of paper how it could be converted into a cargo-carrier. The innovation was to have the driver sitting almost directly over the front wheels. With a few minor alterations here and there, the first Microbus rolled off the production line in 1949.

There’s almost nothing that the essential design wasn’t adapted to do: Some models were made with glass panels in the roofs for touring the Alps. Another model was designed to be used as an ambulance. Longer models had bus seats. They were made into hearses. A flatbed version was used to carry lumber. The one that we are probably most familiar with is the Westfalia camper van, which had a little stove and fridge and a sleeping space.

It’s hard to look back in time and really grasp how big an innovation this was. Instead of towing a camper behind you, you drove and slept and ate in this lovely little van as you toured around. The big problem before 1967 was that the little engine could barely get you up the hill. In 1967 — a critical year — the van was given more engine power and a single open windshield. Think of the synergy! You’ve got this little bus made for touring around; you’ve got 1967. Mix in a lot of restless teenagers and recreational and explorational drug use and what you have is the hippy van. To most of us, that’s what the VW T2 will always be.

Believe it or not, the demise of the VW bus is as comical as its charming little face. In the 1960s, Germany imposed a tariff on imports of American chicken. In response, President Lyndon Johnson put a 25 percent tax on a number of things, including light trucks. When he asked the United Auto Workers for support, the UAW said in effect: “Sure, but these VW buses are killing us.”

Hence, the VW T2 became classified as a light truck, and by 1971, the vans just about disappeared. VW still makes them for European and other markets, but you don’t see new ones here. But then, who’d want a new one anyway. It’s that old, sputtering, hippy bubblegum van that lightens my day. I saw a 1971 model on Ebay for $6,580 if you’re interested.